Chapter 424: New Song Creation, Absolutely No Part Time Jobs
Around the league, the stars suddenly developed selective silence.
Nobody wanted to touch the fight with a 10 foot pole, not in public, not on camera, not with a quote that could get twisted into a headline. Even Paul's closest circle, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade, stayed out of it.
They were all smart. Nobody was volunteering to catch stray heat.
…
Commissioner David Stern called an emergency meeting with league officials. The agenda was simple and messy, discipline both players, calm the public storm, and make sure the league did not look like it was encouraging fists over fundamentals.
Everyone in that room understood Stern's current direction. The league was pushing Chen Yan as the new face, and they also knew who started the incident. The officials agreed that Paul initiated it and should carry the heavier responsibility.
Stern accepted the logic. If the instigator did not get the harsher penalty, the league would be inviting copycats.
The decision came out fast.
Chen Yan, suspended 3 games.
Chris Paul, suspended 5 games.
The league's statement was blunt and legalistic.
Paul was suspended for initiating a physical conflict, including minor actions before the fight and throwing the first punch.
Chen Yan was suspended for making direct contact to Paul's face, knocking him down and causing a brief loss of consciousness.
It read clean, and to the public it sounded fair.
Most fans and media sided with Chen Yan. Paul threw the first punch, and the dirty contact leading up to it did not help his case. In the court of public opinion, Chen Yan was self defense, even if his self defense came with a very heavy right hand.
Since suspended players do not get paid, salary expert Bob Marks estimated the financial hit at about $47,000 for Chen Yan's 3 games, and about $143,000 for Paul's 5 games.
Both were still on rookie deals, so the damage was more pride than payroll.
Mike D'Antoni spoke carefully after hearing the news. "Honestly, I'm a little surprised it's only 3 games. We've seen 10 to 15 game suspensions for punches before. But we can live with this. We're not appealing."
Everyone knew which precedent he meant.
December 16, 2006, Knicks vs Nuggets.
With 75 seconds left, J.R. Smith pushed a fast break. Collins, beaten on the play, grabbed him by the neck and slammed him to the floor. J.R. got up furious, and the whole thing ignited. Players piled in, shouting turned to shoving, and the court turned into a crowd.
Carmelo Anthony came running in from the backcourt, arrived at the center of the chaos, threw a quick punch at Collins, then retreated.
That 1 punch cost him 15 games and about $640,000.
So yes, the Suns coaches and front office had been nervous. Now they could finally breathe.
…
In New Orleans, Paul lay in bed drowning in regret.
Not because of the suspension.
Not because of the money.
Because of the clip.
The video of him getting dropped by 1 punch was everywhere. It was spreading across YouTube like wildfire, and it was the kind of clip that never dies. Fans can forgive missed shots, but the internet does not forgive a knockout.
What would his supporters think, the people who loved the way he played, the people who defended him in every argument?
He already knew the answer.
Chen Yan, by contrast, stayed calm.
A 3 game suspension felt like forced load management. Stars in other eras had taken 1 or 2 games off for no reason at all. The only thing Chen Yan truly hated was the timing.
He would miss the November 20 matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers.
That one mattered.
…
Suspension did not mean vacation.
Team rules were still team rules. Chen Yan had to travel with the Suns during the suspension, even to road games.
First stop was Detroit.
Without Chen Yan, the Suns fell 89 to 93. The game swung in the final minute when Rip Hamilton slid into space and buried a mid range jumper.
Phoenix had chances, but nobody delivered the response bucket.
When the horn sounded, the locker room felt the absence like a missing organ. Chen Yan's 38.1 points per game were not something you replaced with good intentions. Without his gravity, the pressure on everyone else rose immediately.
Stoudemire scored a game high 32 points and admitted afterward that it was the hardest game he had played all season.
Next game was Minnesota.
D'Antoni adjusted the starting group and inserted Kelenna Azubuike. The move worked instantly. Azubuike went 10 for 14 and scored 24 points, and the Suns won comfortably.
Fans started joking online that D'Antoni had found the secret formula without Chen Yan. A few even called Chen Yan "Little Azubuike," like his starting spot might disappear the moment the suspension ended.
It was a joke, and everyone knew it.
Azubuike had been great, but the gap between him and an elite shooting guard did not vanish because of 1 hot night.
Then came November 20.
Los Angeles Lakers.
Kobe Bryant made sure the lesson landed.
Against Kobe's defense, Azubuike managed only 1 made field goal in the first half, for 3 points. Kobe had 18 points at halftime, plus 4 rebounds and 4 assists. By the 4th quarter the game had lost all suspense. Nobody on Phoenix could stop Kobe, and nobody could answer him shot for shot.
The Lakers' frontcourt also punished Phoenix. Kevin Garnett and Marcus Camby, the new defensive anchor, combined for 5 blocks. Camby's presence was a different level of deterrence compared to what the Lakers had last season. It let Garnett spend more energy on offense, which quietly made the whole machine sharper.
Chen Yan watched from the stands with Taylor Swift.
By halftime, he could only admit it. The Lakers were better than last year.
And without him, the Suns looked helpless against that level of firepower.
Staples Center was having fun. When the camera found Chen Yan, the entire building started chanting "f**k chen" in unison.
Chen Yan just sat there, speechless.
He was not even in uniform and still got cursed out like he had hit a game winner.
At this point, "f**k chen" had become a signature chant, the way other cities screamed "Beat LA." Rival crowds always needed something simple to yell, and Chen Yan had given them a perfect target.
After the game, Chen Yan went to greet Kobe.
They hugged. Kobe smiled like he had been waiting for this moment.
"How does it feel to lose?" Kobe asked. "Not good, right?"
Chen Yan stared at him. "Brother, I didn't even play."
Kobe laughed loudly. "Same result. Not much difference."
Chen Yan laughed too. "Enjoy it this time. Next time you won't be that lucky."
"Next time," Kobe said, stepping toward the tunnel after another quick hug, "I'll make you fully convinced."
…
The suspension gave Chen Yan something he rarely had during the season, time.
He told Taylor Swift that he had written another song, a new track called "I Gotta Feeling."
In his previous life, it had been a global hit. It topped charts in 20 countries, including Australia, France, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on July 11, 2009, and held the spot for 14 straight weeks. In January 2010, it even won Best Pop Duo or Group Performance at the 52nd Grammy Awards.
The melody was catchy, the hook was simple, and it did not demand impossible vocals. It fit Chen Yan.
He could not remember every lyric perfectly, but that was not a real problem. He filled in the gaps. The song lived on rhythm and energy, and he trusted his instincts enough to make it work.
"See You Again" had been for Taylor. This one, he planned to sing himself.
A few live appearances had made him addicted to the stage, the lights, the rush of the crowd when the music hit right.
That night, after the Lakers game, Chen Yan and Taylor went to the studio to record.
Taylor was genuinely stunned. She could not understand how a basketball player kept producing songs with real replay value.
At this point, Chen Yan was halfway into the entertainment world without even trying.
As his fame climbed, film crews started reaching out. Some wanted him for cameos, some wanted a bigger role. Acting sounded novel, and part of him wanted to test it.
Just not now.
During the regular season, Chen Yan wanted his focus on the court.
He was not built to be part time at anything.
Either he did it fully, or he did not do it at all.
.....
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